Ebullient
"You left me for them... why?" "I don't know, but you aren't fixing this!" "Things will get better, chị." "I can't betray them!" Adjective /; cheerful and full of energy ;/ Part of Sesquipedalian The Blurb “They told me… That I was supposed to be happy…” Red was born outside the Clan, fathered by the ever-strong leader of SeaClan. With her brother, Gorse, nothing was ever meant to go wrong. But Gorse’s ambitions are different than her’s, and soon, Red finds a need to escape. SeaClan is waiting for her… but does she really want the offers of her father? Prologue A she-cat screamed. The pulsing of her stomach had been so much, that for the last several hours, she'd been stressed and in intense pain. Now, there was something lurking in the shadows, and her eyes narrowed. I have to keep them away from my kits! The shadow stepped into what remained of the moonlight, and the she-cat sighed. "Honestly, Lionstar! I nearly had a heart attack!" "Sorry." The leader dipped his head, and the she-cat mewed, "So, you finally came?" Lionstar nodded, "I knew you'd be kitting. Are you... alright?" "I'm fine." "What about the kits?' The she-cat moved her tail, and revealed four tiny kits, "Aren't they precious?" Lionstar purred, "I love them. Do they have names yet?" The she-cat pointed to each of the kits. "The gray she-kit is Minty. The one that looks like you is Sun. And the brown tom is Gorse." Lionstar looked down, and nudged the dark ginger she-kit, the runt of the litter, "What about her? Does she have a name yet?" The she-cat shook her head, "No, not yet. Do you want to name her?" Lionstar nodded, and looked down at his tiny daughter. "What about... Red?" "That's perfect." ~ The kits scampered through the snow. Gorse tossed a bundle of snow at Red, who fell backwards with a thump. Minty chuckled, and Red flung snow at her, as she kicked her way out of the pile Gorse had landed her in. Sun stayed out of the way, to avoid Hurricane Red. "All of you! Behave!" Shouted their mother, from her nest. Minty nodded, while Sun pulled Red out of the heavy snowbank, "Yes, mother!" Gorse dipped his head, but the fierce look remained in his little eyes. While they scampered, the she-cat purred to herself, "Oh Lionstar... if only you could see your children. They're growing up so fast..." She watched, and she smiled. But it would be her last. ~ "Hurry up and get the kits!" A voice woke Gorse in the night. Out of reflex, he nudged Red, who opened her eyes. "What is it? I'm trying to sleep, Gorse..." Gorse nudged her again, "Something's going on outside. We need to go, Red." Red rolled over, "Let me sleep, Gorse." Gorse growled, and picked up Red by her scruff. The dark ginger she-kit struggled, but Gorse managed to drag her up a tree. They were just in the nick of time too. Just as they were hidden in the safety of the tree, two cats tore into the den. Minty and Sun were silenced within seconds. Red gasped, finally awake, as her siblings limp bodies were pulled away from the nest. They... They killed Minty and Sun! ''Gorse thought, in shock. Red shook, and Gorse huddled near her, for moral support. Voices drifted up from below, the the kits strained the hear them. "I thought this one had more kits..." Said one voice. "Maybe somebody got here first?" Another replied. "Doesn't matter. Her kits are dead." The first voice said again. "What do we do with the mother?" Asked a third voice. "Kill her, obviously." Mewed the second voice. "May SeaClan live forever!" They all chanted. Then, a horrid sound came up. The sound of flesh being ripped, and smell of blood floated up till they surrounded Red and Gorse. "I'll protect you, Red. Even if our family is dead... I'm still here. I'll protect you." Gorse murmured. Red nodded, but she was shaken beyond repair. ''I'll teach you, Red. You're my sister... So I have to protect you. I swear it. "Sleep well... chị." Chapter One A stick cracked near my ear. I jumped up, claws out, and snarling. "Who's there?! Don't come any closer... I'm warning you!" I hissed. Gorse stepped into the hollow, "You alright, chị?" I sighed, and my fur fell back onto my back, "Gorse! You scared me! I thought you were an invader..." My brother purred, "You have no reason to fret, Red. You are not a kit, nor a mother expecting kits. Why would the invaders want you?" I looked away, "I heard they started attacks on anyone now. They took Willow's brother from her." Gorse sighed, "Willow and Blizzard were never careful. We are careful, my dear." "Come on, you know it's not like that. All us rouges are in danger! Minty and Sun got murdered, along with our mother!" Gorse snarled, "What would you have me do? All I can do is protect you, Red!" I winced, and he sighed, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted." I mewed, "I want to stay safe Gorse. Safe, not cooped up. Let me go outside, please. I know how to defend myself." "Five seconds ago, you said that we're in danger. Make up your mind, chị." "Sorry Gorse." ~ The sound of the forest filled my ears. While the Clans lived nearby, it was quiet for once. Normally they were stomping through the trees, leaving their stink on our land. Gorse had gone off hunting, and I sighed. I usually didn't go outside the den, and now, I'd been straying less and less. After Blizzard got taken, I became afraid. It was never a problem before, because I didn't have kits. Then, the invaders began snatching anyone they could get their filthy paws on. To kill them. Minty... Sun... my mother... '' I realized being alone in the forest was probably not the best plan. As if they knew, my paws turned around, and I found myself going back to the den. Before Gorse came back, for sure. He always got worried about me. ''I'm not a kit. I can defend myself. Sometimes. Of course, my whole 'tough act' evaporated when I quite literally crashed into a strange cat. I rolled backwards, and quickly lept to my paws, hissing. The cat glared back, annoyed that I dared trample them. "Rouges." Spat the cat. I sniffed the air, and snarled back, "SeaClan. What are you doing out here?" "This is SeaClan territory." "I've lived out here my entire life." "Times change." Who is this ignorant, self-rightious, prick? As if reading my thoughts, the SeaClan cat replied, "Darkwhisker. But don't think you get points for remembering it. We're going to drive you rouges out of our forest, if it's the last thing we do." My face went up close to his, and I hissed, "Right. I'll keep that in mind, when I stand over your cold, lifeless body." With that, I stalked off. I could sense his eyes burning into the back of my head, but I didn't dare turn around. In fact, as soon as I could, I ran back to the den in desperation. As soon as I was inside, I finally let my guard down. Stupid Clan cats. I thanked the stars that Gorse wasn't back yet, to chastise me. To avoid that entirely, I sat down, and carefully washed myself, making sure to get rid of the disgusting SeaClan smell. When Gorse finally came back, late that night, there was no trace of SeaClan left on me. He eyed me oddly, but tossed me a mouse, and we said nothing about anything. He didn't talk about his trip, I didn't mention my run-in with an arrogant prick. It was quiet. And I didn't like it. I'm sorry Gorse... but how can I live like this? Chapter Two My gaze flickered up, as Gorse left the den. I scuffed my paws on the ground, bored out of my mind. Ever since my encounter with the SeaClan cat, I'd stayed in the den. Long story short, I was bored. Nothing is going to happen if I just stay in this stupid den the whole time. I sat up, and stretched. Gorse was gone, and I had nothing to do. "He won't notice. He didn't last time... I should be fine." I creeped up out of the den, and sniffed the fresh air. Gorse's scent was nowhere near, and I pushed into the forest outside. Mind set on doing something, ''I began walking, unsure of what I'm looking for. But my boredom had got the beter of me, and I was willing to do anything. Even a fight. In fact, I would've loved to sink my claws into Darkwhisker's smug face. That arrogant Clan cat didn't deserve the land he had. ''And how dare he tell me that 'times change'? I've lived here my entire life, and my family for even longer. How dare he think he owns the forest? I was so busy thinking about SeaClan, that I didn't notice the cat in front of me, until it was too late. I have got to stop walking directly into others. This is becoming a problem. I snarled at the cat I'd crashed into, and bared my teeth, just in case it was Darkwhisker. However, the cat who was picking himself off the ground was a white and brown tabby. Not Darkwhisker. "I'm so sorry." The SeaClan cat mewed, "I wasn't watching where I was going." I shaked out my fur, "My fault too. Sorry." I decided to play docile for the moment. The cat didn't look angry, and I wanted it to stay that way. The cat sniffed the air, "Hey, you're a rouge, aren't you?" I bristled, "Do you have a problem with that?" I didn't want to get angry, but if he was going to get suspicious because of my birth, there would be consequences. He shook his head, "I just wondered. Sorry if I sounded offended. My name is Cedarclaw." "Red." I replied, "Do you Clan cats all have such odd names? Why make them so long?" Cedarclaw shrugged, "It's a tradition. Been this way forever. I remember questioning once, but not anymore." Huh. Strange... I thought all Clan cats were monsters. But this one doesn't seem too bad. I mewed slowly, "So, what are you doing out here? This happens to be my territory that you're on." Cedarclaw blinked, "Lionstar said we were making this part of the forest our territory... I thought nobody lived out here!" I snorted, "You Clan cats are ignorant. There's a lot of us out here." "Sorry, I had no idea. SeaClan is... well, it looks like we're only interested in what will help us out." Cedarclaw admitted. I shrugged, "Well, at least you're honest." He chuckled, "Thanks, Red. Anyway, I should probably get back to my patrol. I came chasing a squirrel... but I kinda lost it." I guess that was my fault. "Well," I mewed, "I'll see you around then, Cedarclaw." "Bye!" He mewed, racing off again. I suppose... he's not so bad. Chapter Three I left the den before Gorse woke up that morning. He'd know I was gone, but I didn't care. My mission was to get as far away as possible, before he woke up. I followed the SeaClan scent trail, wondering if I could find their camp. I had no plans to run into another patrol, but I wanted a glimpse of Clan life. Certainly Cedarclaw isn't the ''only ''decent Clan cat. '' I didn't know why I wanted to find SeaClan so badly. But I could feel my life wasting away in that den. I wanted to do something. Anything. I approached a valley, and looked down. It was far deeper than it appeared. In the valley were several cats, and they all smelled of SeaClan. ''Jackpot. I watched them for a short while, then retreated into the trees. There was no need to be caught spying on them. It wouldn't end well for anyone. As I made my way back to the den, I realized that Gorse would know I was missing. The thought made me hurry, and I began to run, in hopes he wouldn't be suspicious. When I arrived back at the den, Gorse was sitting outside, waiting for me. "Hello, chị." He mewed, "Where have you been?" I gulped, "Out for a walk. Couldn't sleep." Gorse eyed me suspiciously, but pushed a thrush in my direction, "Well, I hope you didn't go hunting without me. I brought your favourite." I looked down at the thrush, hungrily. Thrush was ''my favourite, and I quickly ate it up. Gorse peered at me as I eat, and I tried to ignore him. I was afraid. ~ Gorse left me alone, later that day. I disregarded any thought for safety, and left the den again, in search of the SeaClan camp. As I drew closer to the camp, I smelled a group of cats heading in my direction. I quickly jumped into a bush, unsure of what would happen. My heart began to beat faster, as the scent grew even more powerful. I curled into a ball, desperate not to be seen. The group of cats got closer, and I fell silent. "Do you smell that?" I held my breath, fear pumping. "Yeah!" Cried another, "There's a mouse nearby." I almost let out a sigh of relief, but I kept quiet. "Let's get it." The cats scampered off, and after a moment, I poked my head up out of the bush. Seeing that they were gone, I crept creeping through the undergrowth. Then suddenly, I came to a dip in the ground. It was if a giant paw had reached into the earth, and scooped out a large pile of dirt. The SeaClan camp was at the bottom of a pit, surrounded by high cliffs. My eyes lit up. This was the place I had been searching for. Cats were everywhere. Mothers and their kittens lulled around, while more experianced cats barked orders at younger ones. My tail curled in delight. I didn't know why I was suddenly so obsessed with SeaClan. Maybe it had to do with how kind Cedarclaw had been to me, maybe I was just excited to find cats with a different lifestyle than my own. Either way, I crept closer to the camp, concealing myself the best I could. A loud yowl caught me off guard. I stuck close to the brush, but leant in to hear what was going on. A large, golden brown tom had leaped onto a tall rock. He looked majestic, like he could bend any cat to his will. I shivered quietly. ''He looks... familiar. "All those old enough to swim, gather below to hear me speak!" I murmured, "He speaks with such authority too." The tom cleared his throat, "As you all know, we've had some difficulty expanding our territory lately, due to the rouges that still live in our forest." There were a few murmurs from the cats below him. "However, I propose a plan that will give us the land we deserve, once and for all!" The tom exclaimed. A plan? I hope it's nothing too dangerous... Some of the cats cheered. "We will obliterate all of them. Either they give us exactly what we're after, or all of them will die." The cheering grew louder. Fear coursed through my veins instantly. I couldn't give up the woods. They were my home, and they belonged to everyone else too. Gorse, Willow, and everyone else I knew wouldn't be able to just walk away from this. But we wouldn't be any match for the SeaClan army. I backed away from the camp, trying to control my breathing. If I didn't figure out something, we would all die. I couldn't let that happen. "Red?" I stiffened. Shaking, I turned around, my heart thumping in my chest. "What are you doing here, c''hị?"'' Gorse. Chapter Four Category:Brighty's Stuff Category:Fanfictions Category:Worse Category:Sesquipedalian Category:Collabs